Automated contracting has been part of commercial relationships in business and the industry for a long time. However, these interactions between machines raise intricate legal and IT security issues. Looking to remove these hurdles, the "Industry 4.0 Legal-Testbed" project is conducting research in a consortium of four partners to develop new intelligent systems. On January 19, Professor Dr. Georg Borges gave an insight into the current state of research.
Professor Borges' chair is researching how trust, which is essential for collaboration in Industry 4.0, can be assessed and established between two contracting parties, as well as the challenges involved. In order to gain and establish trust, various requirements must be met. Aiming to automate trust management as a basis for Industry 4.0, Professor Borges' chair has developed relevant structures, which Professor Borges presented at the 44th session of the UAG "Security Standards and Internationalization" of Plattform Industrie 4.0.
To approach concepts such as "trustworthiness profile", Borges first examined what trust means per se and what key characteristics play a role in assessing "trustworthiness". He introduced different approaches, such as the standardization of information and processes and the introduction of new concepts. For instance, Borges illustrated a concept for the automated exchange of information used in trust management. The concept is applied when a purchaser needs relevant information about a company. The buyer formulates requirements and the company's software automatically compiles them - such is the plan, according to which automated requests for and the automated return of information will be implemented in the future. A minimum set of necessary conditions for a contractual partner should be achieved at various levels, ultimately serving as a basis for the decision-making process. The goal is to create an automated system for an evaluation scheme as the basis for trustworthy cooperation.
The progress made throughout the first half of the project made the participants at the event so eager to learn more that the moderator, Dr. Wolfgang Klasen, invited Professor Borges to discuss the topic in more detail in a different format, such as a workshop. Professor Borges gladly accepted the invitation. To be continued.
